Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Salary — Bakersfield, California

The average Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Bakersfield, California earns $94,540 a year.

$94,540 / year, mean
↑ 20.4% above national average 8th percentile in California

Bakersfield is among the lowest-paying cities in California for this specific role. That's a solid premium over the national average for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
3,300
Estimate confidence
RSE 2.6%
Cost of living 101 #49 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $364,264 #72 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $67,660 #121 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Bakersfield ranks #49 for cost of living and #72 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Francisco $119,470 San Diego $116,110 San Jose $111,240 Napa $107,690 Mount Vernon $107,640 Los Angeles $106,820 Oxnard $106,480 Bremerton $104,000 Modesto $103,950 Santa Rosa $103,360 Fresno $103,120 Bellingham $102,490 Sacramento $101,820 Seattle $101,680 Santa Maria $101,500 Vallejo $100,500 Hanford $100,480 Merced $100,380 Kennewick $100,310 New York $100,020 Riverside $99,640 Salinas $99,410 Kingston $99,220 Chico $98,330 Olympia $98,210 Chicago $97,150 Stockton $97,040 El Centro $96,750 Visalia $96,750 Yuba City $96,450 San Luis Obispo $95,490 Bakersfield $94,540 Walla Walla $94,490 Santa Cruz $94,180 Longview $93,690 Yakima $92,200 Spokane $91,860 Wenatchee $90,530 Kiryas Joel $90,370 Portland $86,120 Atlantic City $85,370 Trenton $83,650 Albany $82,930 Bend $82,930 Buffalo $82,020 Philadelphia $81,030 Glens Falls $80,450 Allentown $79,770 Grants Pass $79,770 Lexington Park $79,730 Pittsburgh $79,730 Vineland $79,660 Baltimore $79,240 York $78,970 Lancaster $78,430 Utica $78,420 Syracuse $77,700 Eugene $77,480 Ithaca $76,940 Rockford $76,670 Lebanon $76,510 Salem $76,120 Reading $75,690 Gettysburg $75,590 Bloomington $75,170 Virginia Beach $74,870 Medford $74,500 Chambersburg $74,170 Detroit $74,170 State College $74,000 Springfield $73,900 Binghamton $73,480 Corvallis $73,140 Salisbury $72,840 Scranton $72,740 Staunton $71,920 Flint $71,740 Decatur $71,440 Harrisonburg $71,310 Harrisburg $71,190 Albany $71,140 Rochester $71,050 Louisville $70,730 Elkhart $70,550 Indianapolis $70,430 Midland $70,360 Watertown $70,310 Grand Rapids $70,100 Ann Arbor $70,090 Lafayette $69,940 Midland $69,790 Odessa $69,760 Dover $69,440 Traverse City $69,340 Saginaw $69,280 Kalamazoo $69,130 Lansing $69,010 Dallas $68,930 Jackson $68,920 Michigan City $68,910 Jacksonville $68,750 Elmira $68,680 Monroe $68,680 Niles $67,830 Houston $67,740 Muskegon $67,480 South Bend $67,360 Winchester $67,230 Erie $67,160 Lexington $67,000 Johnstown $66,820 Fort Wayne $66,650 Richmond $66,610 Killeen $66,510 Roanoke $66,130 Battle Creek $66,080 Sarasota $66,030 Corpus Christi $65,700 Hagerstown $65,650 McAllen $65,490 Charlottesville $65,440 Naples $65,100 Peoria $64,910 Muncie $64,780 San Antonio $64,640 Bay City $64,590 Altoona $64,470 Laredo $64,410 Blacksburg $64,350 Austin $64,230 Brownsville $64,230 Sherman $64,140 El Paso $64,030 Champaign $64,010 Evansville $63,870 Deltona $63,770 Owensboro $63,300 Terre Haute $63,220 Lynchburg $62,520 Bloomington $62,440 Elizabethtown $62,420 Miami $62,190 Huntington $62,120 Tampa $62,070 Waco $62,000 Beaumont $61,990 Longview $61,870 Weirton $61,730 Amarillo $61,570 Orlando $61,450 Wichita Falls $61,230 Kokomo $61,200 Bowling Green $61,010 Wheeling $60,890 Crestview $60,650 Tyler $60,320 Paducah $60,300 College Station $59,860 Fort Myers $59,550 Ocala $59,220 Gainesville $58,920 Lubbock $58,790 San Angelo $58,520 Texarkana $58,140 Abilene $58,060 Palm Bay $57,500 Pensacola $57,370 Sebring $56,600 Kankakee $56,440 Port St. Lucie $55,690 Victoria $55,560 Beckley $55,330 Charleston $55,110 Tallahassee $55,000 Lakeland $54,920 Panama City $53,890
CityMean salaryvs. Bakersfield
Abilene, Texas$58,060-38.6%
Albany, Oregon$71,140-24.8%
Albany, New York$82,930-12.3%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$79,770-15.6%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$64,470-31.8%
Amarillo, Texas$61,570-34.9%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$70,090-25.9%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$85,370-9.7%
Austin, Texas$64,230-32.1%
Baltimore, Maryland$79,240-16.2%
Battle Creek, Michigan$66,080-30.1%
Bay City, Michigan$64,590-31.7%
Beaumont, Texas$61,990-34.4%
Beckley, West Virginia$55,330-41.5%
Bellingham, Washington$102,490+8.4%
Bend, Oregon$82,930-12.3%
Binghamton, New York$73,480-22.3%
Blacksburg, Virginia$64,350-31.9%
Bloomington, Illinois$75,170-20.5%
Bloomington, Indiana$62,440-34.0%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$61,010-35.5%
Bremerton, Washington$104,000+10.0%
Brownsville, Texas$64,230-32.1%
Buffalo, New York$82,020-13.2%
Fort Myers, Florida$59,550-37.0%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$74,170-21.5%
Champaign, Illinois$64,010-32.3%
Charleston, West Virginia$55,110-41.7%
Charlottesville, Virginia$65,440-30.8%
Chicago, Illinois$97,150+2.8%
Chico, California$98,330+4.0%
College Station, Texas$59,860-36.7%
Corpus Christi, Texas$65,700-30.5%
Corvallis, Oregon$73,140-22.6%
Crestview, Florida$60,650-35.8%
Dallas, Texas$68,930-27.1%
Decatur, Illinois$71,440-24.4%
Deltona, Florida$63,770-32.5%
Detroit, Michigan$74,170-21.5%
Dover, Delaware$69,440-26.5%
El Centro, California$96,750+2.3%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$62,420-34.0%
Elkhart, Indiana$70,550-25.4%
Elmira, New York$68,680-27.4%
El Paso, Texas$64,030-32.3%
Erie, Pennsylvania$67,160-29.0%
Eugene, Oregon$77,480-18.0%
Evansville, Indiana$63,870-32.4%
Flint, Michigan$71,740-24.1%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$66,650-29.5%
Fresno, California$103,120+9.1%
Gainesville, Florida$58,920-37.7%
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania$75,590-20.0%
Glens Falls, New York$80,450-14.9%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$70,100-25.9%
Grants Pass, Oregon$79,770-15.6%
Hagerstown, Maryland$65,650-30.6%
Hanford, California$100,480+6.3%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$71,190-24.7%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$71,310-24.6%
Houston, Texas$67,740-28.3%
Huntington, West Virginia$62,120-34.3%
Indianapolis, Indiana$70,430-25.5%
Ithaca, New York$76,940-18.6%
Jackson, Michigan$68,920-27.1%
Jacksonville, Florida$68,750-27.3%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$66,820-29.3%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$69,130-26.9%
Kankakee, Illinois$56,440-40.3%
Kennewick, Washington$100,310+6.1%
Killeen, Texas$66,510-29.6%
Kingston, New York$99,220+5.0%
Kiryas Joel, New York$90,370-4.4%
Kokomo, Indiana$61,200-35.3%
Lafayette, Indiana$69,940-26.0%
Lakeland, Florida$54,920-41.9%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$78,430-17.0%
Lansing, Michigan$69,010-27.0%
Laredo, Texas$64,410-31.9%
Lebanon, Pennsylvania$76,510-19.1%
Lexington, Kentucky$67,000-29.1%
Lexington Park, Maryland$79,730-15.7%
Longview, Texas$61,870-34.6%
Longview, Washington$93,690-0.9%
Los Angeles, California$106,820+13.0%
Louisville, Kentucky$70,730-25.2%
Lubbock, Texas$58,790-37.8%
Lynchburg, Virginia$62,520-33.9%
McAllen, Texas$65,490-30.7%
Medford, Oregon$74,500-21.2%
Merced, California$100,380+6.2%
Miami, Florida$62,190-34.2%
Michigan City, Indiana$68,910-27.1%
Midland, Michigan$70,360-25.6%
Midland, Texas$69,790-26.2%
Modesto, California$103,950+10.0%
Monroe, Michigan$68,680-27.4%
Mount Vernon, Washington$107,640+13.9%
Muncie, Indiana$64,780-31.5%
Muskegon, Michigan$67,480-28.6%
Napa, California$107,690+13.9%
Naples, Florida$65,100-31.1%
New York, New York$100,020+5.8%
Niles, Michigan$67,830-28.3%
Sarasota, Florida$66,030-30.2%
Ocala, Florida$59,220-37.4%
Odessa, Texas$69,760-26.2%
Olympia, Washington$98,210+3.9%
Orlando, Florida$61,450-35.0%
Owensboro, Kentucky$63,300-33.0%
Oxnard, California$106,480+12.6%
Paducah, Kentucky$60,300-36.2%
Palm Bay, Florida$57,500-39.2%
Panama City, Florida$53,890-43.0%
Pensacola, Florida$57,370-39.3%
Peoria, Illinois$64,910-31.3%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$81,030-14.3%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$79,730-15.7%
Portland, Oregon$86,120-8.9%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$55,690-41.1%
Reading, Pennsylvania$75,690-19.9%
Richmond, Virginia$66,610-29.5%
Riverside, California$99,640+5.4%
Roanoke, Virginia$66,130-30.1%
Rochester, New York$71,050-24.8%
Rockford, Illinois$76,670-18.9%
Sacramento, California$101,820+7.7%
Saginaw, Michigan$69,280-26.7%
Salem, Oregon$76,120-19.5%
Salinas, California$99,410+5.2%
Salisbury, Maryland$72,840-23.0%
San Angelo, Texas$58,520-38.1%
San Antonio, Texas$64,640-31.6%
San Diego, California$116,110+22.8%
San Francisco, California$119,470+26.4%
San Jose, California$111,240+17.7%
San Luis Obispo, California$95,490+1.0%
Santa Cruz, California$94,180-0.4%
Santa Maria, California$101,500+7.4%
Santa Rosa, California$103,360+9.3%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$72,740-23.1%
Seattle, Washington$101,680+7.6%
Sebring, Florida$56,600-40.1%
Sherman, Texas$64,140-32.2%
South Bend, Indiana$67,360-28.7%
Spokane, Washington$91,860-2.8%
Springfield, Illinois$73,900-21.8%
State College, Pennsylvania$74,000-21.7%
Staunton, Virginia$71,920-23.9%
Stockton, California$97,040+2.6%
Syracuse, New York$77,700-17.8%
Tallahassee, Florida$55,000-41.8%
Tampa, Florida$62,070-34.3%
Terre Haute, Indiana$63,220-33.1%
Texarkana, Texas$58,140-38.5%
Traverse City, Michigan$69,340-26.7%
Trenton, New Jersey$83,650-11.5%
Tyler, Texas$60,320-36.2%
Utica, New York$78,420-17.1%
Vallejo, California$100,500+6.3%
Victoria, Texas$55,560-41.2%
Vineland, New Jersey$79,660-15.7%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$74,870-20.8%
Visalia, California$96,750+2.3%
Waco, Texas$62,000-34.4%
Walla Walla, Washington$94,490-0.1%
Watertown, New York$70,310-25.6%
Weirton, West Virginia$61,730-34.7%
Wenatchee, Washington$90,530-4.2%
Wheeling, West Virginia$60,890-35.6%
Wichita Falls, Texas$61,230-35.2%
Winchester, Virginia$67,230-28.9%
Yakima, Washington$92,200-2.5%
York, Pennsylvania$78,970-16.5%
Yuba City, California$96,450+2.0%
Gross salary
94,540/yr
Estimated take-home
70,639/yr
Est. total withheld
25.3%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education salaries in California → All Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for Bakersfield

These notes add local color around Bakersfield, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 25-2031 SOC code
Official area Bakersfield-Delano, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 12540 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Delano
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
910,433